Just Another Prime Inc Endeavor

It’s been a while since my last update. When this load to Washington finishes, I should have about 40,000 miles of TNT training completed. Perhaps I can finish training within the first couple weeks in January. I have had a couple close calls with the trailer, but thankfully saw the situation in time to keep from hitting anything. I keep thinking of what G-town’s trainer said about “watching your wagon.” That phrase often goes through my mind as well.
I probably spent over 100 hours reading the posts at trucking truth before starting my training. Once I got into the long days of TNT training, I guess it just took me a while to get back to taking the time to read and respond. Thank you to everyone for the wealth of wisdom provided in this site. It continues to help me in many ways.

Super glad to hear from you, sir . . . and knowing that you are still 'In it to Win it~!!' Yep, G'Town's phrase resonates in the hearts and minds of MANY. . . myself included, even though I'm just a 'passenger' anymore, LoL.

~ Anne ~

Solo status, yet?

Any updates?

Solo Trucking

Got back to Springfield with my trainer on Monday, January 18, 2021. Had sent my FM a message that morning asking about starting my paperwork and he said he had already begun. When I texted him later he said that classes on Tuesday were already full but I could start on Wednesday morning. He told me that all I needed to do on Tuesday was watch ELD mandate videos and then call logging to go over things with them. I watched the videos and then called but she could not verify that I had watched the videos because apparently I watched them in the wrong section. So after our call I went to the correct section which is certifications, and watched the hour long video again. As a part of the upgrade process, I would later watch the video a third time. This video is probably the longest one I have watched at just under an hour.

Classes Wednesday morning began at 700. Mostly we watched videos about distracted driving and the dangers associated with not being careful while driving. Then we went to the SIM lab. We drove in a couple of different scenarios. My second one was in snowy conditions. Although I had driven probably thousands of miles during training in such conditions without problems, I slid off the road going up an exit ramp in the simulator. Our test to pass the simulator involved backing the truck between two buildings into a dock. The instructor gave us an idea of how he would do it and I followed his example. We had one opportunity to practice and then the second time was the test. I managed to get it backed in both times and then the instructor told me I was finished. He gave me a schedule for what I needed to do next. All it included was watching CBTs, and going to a class on automatic transmissions in the plaza which would be available at 1330 the next couple days. I managed to go ahead and get to the class on Wednesday and then went back to my room and worked on the CBTs. I finished them around 2300 and sent an email given on the schedule. The email was just to let them know I was ready to move towards getting a truck and what division I would be driving and whether I would be company or lease. Thursday morning I got an email with a link which I would use to get in line for obtaining a truck. I received a call about 1030 Thursday morning telling me they had a truck for me.

All my training was in a Freightliner Cascadia. I downloaded the user manual and tried to get very familiar with it. I watched videos about different features of the truck. I went to pick up my own truck, and walked out and found it, and it is an International. I spent Thursday afternoon going over the truck with their checklist and found a number of issues that needed to be resolved. I got it into the truck shop Thursday evening and they finished with it just before 0100. They said one of the issues needed to be addressed by the body shop and that people would be available there around 0600. I drove it back to campus and went to bed. Got up at 0530 to shower so I could call the body shop at 0600. I left messages with the shop number and the supervisor number but did not get a response. In about 30 minutes I went ahead and drove over there and found everyone there very helpful. They had to repair holes in the back of the cab where the upper load lock bracket had been torn out. Then they put in another upper bracket. A young man in detailing worked very hard and got most of the grease out of the driver's seat belt. They finished around 1100. I washed my clothes and ate lunch and got back to campus around 1400 to load up my stuff. I texted my FM that my PTA would be around 1500.

Just before 1500 I got a call from dispatch that I had a trailer to pick up in Bedford, Pennsylvania, location code WALBED. I did not see that as a load in the system so I checked with my FM and he confirmed that it was legitimate. (I learned later that loads to not show up in the system until they are actually hauling something.) So I took off for Pennsylvania. After driving about 6 and ½ hours I got very sleepy. I had gotten little sleep the previous night. I saw a ramp with trucks parked on the shoulder so I exited there and slept about 3 and 1/2 hours. I got up later and got to a truck stop with the remaining part of my hours. After my break I started traveling East again. At some point I had a brief pause where I sent a message to dispatch because I still had not seen my trip in the system. They responded and said that I needed to be going to Wisconsin instead of Pennsylvania. They said the location code I needed was WALBD not WALBED. After checking with a friend with more experience I started moving towards Wisconsin, where I did find my first trailer at a Walmart DC in the middle of a significant snow storm. Thus my training ended and my solo career began.

I want to thank both of you who followed this story. Thank you for your interest and your helpful comments. Actually, I have been encouraged by many of you and I appreciate your support. I have been wanting to finish this up for several weeks now, but initially did not have the right equipment, and then did not find the time. But here I sit in a Philadelphia parking lot, hoping to deliver 43k pounds of beef to Philadelphia Cheese Steak at 0600, weather permitting.

Solo Trucking

Got back to Springfield with my trainer on Monday, January 18, 2021. Had sent my FM a message that morning asking about starting my paperwork and he said he had already begun. When I texted him later he said that classes on Tuesday were already full but I could start on Wednesday morning. He told me that all I needed to do on Tuesday was watch ELD mandate videos and then call logging to go over things with them. I watched the videos and then called but she could not verify that I had watched the videos because apparently I watched them in the wrong section. So after our call I went to the correct section which is certifications, and watched the hour long video again. As a part of the upgrade process, I would later watch the video a third time. This video is probably the longest one I have watched at just under an hour.

Classes Wednesday morning began at 700. Mostly we watched videos about distracted driving and the dangers associated with not being careful while driving. Then we went to the SIM lab. We drove in a couple of different scenarios. My second one was in snowy conditions. Although I had driven probably thousands of miles during training in such conditions without problems, I slid off the road going up an exit ramp in the simulator. Our test to pass the simulator involved backing the truck between two buildings into a dock. The instructor gave us an idea of how he would do it and I followed his example. We had one opportunity to practice and then the second time was the test. I managed to get it backed in both times and then the instructor told me I was finished. He gave me a schedule for what I needed to do next. All it included was watching CBTs, and going to a class on automatic transmissions in the plaza which would be available at 1330 the next couple days. I managed to go ahead and get to the class on Wednesday and then went back to my room and worked on the CBTs. I finished them around 2300 and sent an email given on the schedule. The email was just to let them know I was ready to move towards getting a truck and what division I would be driving and whether I would be company or lease. Thursday morning I got an email with a link which I would use to get in line for obtaining a truck. I received a call about 1030 Thursday morning telling me they had a truck for me.

All my training was in a Freightliner Cascadia. I downloaded the user manual and tried to get very familiar with it. I watched videos about different features of the truck. I went to pick up my own truck, and walked out and found it, and it is an International. I spent Thursday afternoon going over the truck with their checklist and found a number of issues that needed to be resolved. I got it into the truck shop Thursday evening and they finished with it just before 0100. They said one of the issues needed to be addressed by the body shop and that people would be available there around 0600. I drove it back to campus and went to bed. Got up at 0530 to shower so I could call the body shop at 0600. I left messages with the shop number and the supervisor number but did not get a response. In about 30 minutes I went ahead and drove over there and found everyone there very helpful. They had to repair holes in the back of the cab where the upper load lock bracket had been torn out. Then they put in another upper bracket. A young man in detailing worked very hard and got most of the grease out of the driver's seat belt. They finished around 1100. I washed my clothes and ate lunch and got back to campus around 1400 to load up my stuff. I texted my FM that my PTA would be around 1500.

Just before 1500 I got a call from dispatch that I had a trailer to pick up in Bedford, Pennsylvania, location code WALBED. I did not see that as a load in the system so I checked with my FM and he confirmed that it was legitimate. (I learned later that loads to not show up in the system until they are actually hauling something.) So I took off for Pennsylvania. After driving about 6 and ½ hours I got very sleepy. I had gotten little sleep the previous night. I saw a ramp with trucks parked on the shoulder so I exited there and slept about 3 and 1/2 hours. I got up later and got to a truck stop with the remaining part of my hours. After my break I started traveling East again. At some point I had a brief pause where I sent a message to dispatch because I still had not seen my trip in the system. They responded and said that I needed to be going to Wisconsin instead of Pennsylvania. They said the location code I needed was WALBD not WALBED. After checking with a friend with more experience I started moving towards Wisconsin, where I did find my first trailer at a Walmart DC in the middle of a significant snow storm. Thus my training ended and my solo career began.

I want to thank both of you who followed this story. Thank you for your interest and your helpful comments. Actually, I have been encouraged by many of you and I appreciate your support. I have been wanting to finish this up for several weeks now, but initially did not have the right equipment, and then did not find the time. But here I sit in a Philadelphia parking lot, hoping to deliver 43k pounds of beef to Philadelphia Cheese Steak at 0600, weather permitting.

It's 0614 .. all good?